Dark-Horse Albanese Seeks His Stride

Published: August 18, 1997

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The other morning at Times Square, Mr. Albanese even seemed unfazed as many people rushed past him, ignoring his pleas for them to stop so he could register them to vote. He did not even seem to mind that a young aide in aviator sunglasses kept bellowing at his back, ''This is your last chance! This is your last chance!'' -- a reference not to Mr. Albanese's electoral prospects but to the voter registration deadline.

''Here's my analysis, and I know the city pretty well,'' Mr. Albanese said as his campaign van bounced along the Belt Parkway. ''If you got problems in your own base -- which Ruth has -- and then she doesn't have a real appeal in the outer boroughs, and to top that off, she was banking on a heavy African-American vote, which isn't going to be there . . . '' Mr. Albanese ended the sentence with a ''Well-what-do-you-think-is-going-to-happen?'' shrug of the shoulders.

Still, a few hours later, Mr. Albanese let his poise slip for a moment, turning in his seat to inquire, ''Will you be shocked if I pull it out?''

A number of things are working against him. He is not a particularly accomplished campaigner; on the stump, his words come out in a quick and mumbled monotone. Mr. Albanese's lack of campaign funds reinforces his indistinct image. While Ms. Messinger drives in a van filled with six aides, Mr. Albanese travels with a single assistant, who drives the car, guides the candidate from apartment complex recreation rooms to street fairs, and hands out literature.

To succeed, observers say, Mr. Albanese has to find a way to emerge from two shadows at once: Ms. Messinger's and Mr. Giuliani's. And he has to do that as a City Councilman who is barely known outside his own neighborhood.

In truth, Mr. Albanese has distinguished himself with the kind of explicit and contrary campaign themes that are rarely heard from Ms. Messinger (though such ideas are often floated by Mr. Sharpton).

His central argument is that campaign contributions should be sharply reduced. ''It's one of the big issues in the campaign,'' he said. ''The system is polluted. The system is being driven by big money so that what happens is when you get there, you simply can't run the city properly.''

Mr. Albanese has said he would support some tax increases -- like a change in the city's tax structure that would increase the tax rate on the wealthy. ''People are willing to pay a little more if they can get something in return,'' he said.

And Mr. Albanese's style, if low-key, can be endearing to voters more accustomed to the higher-voltage breed of politician. ''I wish he were running for another office so I could vote for him,'' said Anita Schmidt, a Democrat from Manhattan, who plans to vote for Mr. Giuliani. ''He seems like a fine, decent man.''

Not surprisingly, Mr. Albanese has his dark moments. He refers to Ms. Messinger as the ''alleged front-runner,'' and complains that Ms. Messinger's excitable and quotable press secretary, Leland T. Jones, gets more public attention then he does.

He is most displeased with the media, which he describes as biased in favor of the Mayor. ''I happen to believe that Messinger is the weakest candidate against Giuliani and I think there are some in the media who are trying to prop up Messinger so she can be Giuliani's opponent,'' Mr. Albanese said. ''I just don't think we're getting a fair shake.''

But Mr. Albanese endures, and people seem to notice that -- though it remains to be seen if that will count for much on Election Day.

''Giuliani is a shoo-in,'' said Sylvia Seidman, a Democrat and a retired school teacher who lives in Chelsea, after shaking Mr. Albanese's hand at the Greenwich Village church. ''But this guy is trying so hard, I have to give him credit. He may not win, but maybe next time.''

Photo: Sal F. Albanese, a mayoral candidate, marching during the recent Puerto Rican Day parade. With the Democratic primary approaching, Mr. Albanese, who trails Ruth W. Messinger in the polls, is having trouble rousing enthusiasm among voters. (Frances Roberts)